During the coldest and most dreary weeks of the year, the Missouri Botanical Garden offers visitors a vibrant, tropical treat: the annual Orchid Show.
A wide view of the Emerson Conservatory shows a lush display of tropical orchids. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.
The 2025 Orchid Show contains 450-500 orchids at any given time—a sizable sample of the Garden’s entire orchid collection which spans 5,000 plants and 700 species.
Guests explore the 2025 Orchid Show. Photo by John Evans Jr.
Morning sunlight illuminates the tropical orchid display inside the Emerson Conservatory. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.
Throughout the five-week runtime, the horticulture team brings new orchids on display, rewarding repeat visitors with new species to enjoy.
Banners in the 2025 Orchid Show highlight Shaw Nature Reserve’s Centennial Year. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.
Did you know? Not all orchid species have common names or they share a common name, which is why we’ve used Latin names in the descriptions throughout this blog.
The 2025 Orchid Show runs through March 9 and is included in Garden admission. While these photos capture the beauty of our orchids, seeing (and smelling) them in person is the best way to experience the Orchid Show.
A vanilla orchid (Vanilla aphylla) begins to bloom. Though it shares a common name of vanilla orchid, Vanilla aphyllais not typically used in vanilla production; Vanilla planifolia is more commonly used for natural vanilla flavoring. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.Dendrobium Thongchai. Photo by John Evans Jr.
Trichocentrum splendidum. Orchids in the Trichocentrum genus get nicknamed dancinglady orchids. Photo by John Evans Jr.
Trichocentrum splendidum. Their nickname, dancinglady orchids, comes from the way the plant’s flowers resemble a dancer’s billowing skirt. Photo by John Evans Jr.
Dendrobium speciosum var. compactum. Dendrobium orchids make good house plants. Because their blooms are long-lived, they are used as cut flowers. Photo by John Evans Jr.Cattleya “Kokohead Beauty”, a hybrid of Cattleya Dorothy Warne x Cattleya Penny Kuroda. Photo by John Evans Jr.
2025 Orchid Show
Explore the Garden’s orchid collection February 1-March 9.
Ascocenda Memoria Bernard Sidran ‘A’, a hybrid of Ascda. Yip Sum Wah x Ascda. Mini Kam. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.Cattleya, Purple Cascade ‘Beauty of Perfume’. Photo by Sundos Schneider.
Dendrochilumwenzelii is a unique orchid with smaller, clusters of flowers. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.
Dendrochilumwenzelii is a unique orchid with smaller, clusters of flowers. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.
Paphiopedilum Varuna. Paphiopedilum orchids can be referred to as Venus’ slippers, with the genus name coming from the Greek words paphia an epithet of Aphrodite (Venus), whose chief seat of worship was at Paphos on the island of Cyprus, and pedilon meaning sandal. Photo by Nathan Kwarta.Phalaenopsis “New Vivian”. Phalaenopsis orchids are commonly called moth orchids, with the genus name translating to “like moths”. Photo by Sundos Schneider.
Sunlight filters through the flowers of the Phalaenopsis aphrodite ‘Motes’. Photo by Sundos Schneider.
Sunlight filters through the flowers of the Phalaenopsis aphrodite, ‘Motes’. The 2025 Orchid Show can be enoyed throughout the daytime admission. Photo by Sundos Schneider.
Epidendrum “Wedding Valley”. The genus Epidendrum contains over 1,500 species and is called a mega-genus. Photo by Sundos Schneider.Ludisia discolor var. dawsoniana is sometimes called a jewel orchid. Photo by Sundos Schneider.
Copy by Jessika Eidson | Public Information Officer
Thanks to our staff and volunteer photographers who capture the beauty of the 2025 Orchid Show. Thank you to the Kemper Center team whose Plant Finder information provided interesting facts for many of the photos.
Volunteer photographers capture the beauty of the 2025 Orchid Show. Photos by Nathan Kwarta.
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